ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
REGISTER
LOGIN
ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
Friday Sep 23, 2022

Joe Simmonds addresses lack of form in honest interview

It was only in 2020 that Joe Simmonds appeared to be on the brink of international honours, becoming a global name. He had just won the Premiership and the European Cup double with the Exeter Chiefs, and as captain he had just received an MBE from the Queen.

ADVERTISEMENT

Since then the prospects for Simmonds have greatly diminished, with Harvey Skinner being generally preferred in the number ten position over Simmonds. Due to his poorer performances, Simmonds has also seen his captaincy taken off him in a move sure to have knocked his confidence further.

With this, the fly-half has seen his appearances come more and more regularly from the bench, or more recently from full-back.

The 25-year-old has stepped in at fifteen for Stuart Hogg and Josh Hodge as they continue to struggle with injuries. His two performances so far at full-back have gained plenty of praise from coaches and pundits alike, which has seen him play with the assurance of his double-winning stint a couple of years ago.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Simmonds was very vocal about the pressure he felt and how it affected his performance:

“In the past couple of years I’ve probably let myself down a little bit with how I’ve been performing,

“I kind of just want to put whatever I’ve done behind me and just move on and become this new player.

“I probably put too much pressure on myself coming off the back of that,

“I think it’s kind of normal, you probably would get that pressure, but looking back on it, it probably hindered me a little bit.

“But for me, now I’m just enjoying my rugby. I’ve been playing rugby from such a young age, it’s just game and I’ve just got to perform week in, week out. I try and just enjoy my rugby now more than worry about things.”

Joe Simmonds exeter chiefs

Back in 2020 Simmonds was seen by many to be England’s next great fly-half.

When speaking about his transition to full-back, Simmonds had the following to say:

“I have played a few times there in the last few years, but I’m enjoying it, I’m getting the ball in the hands a little bit more in space,” he added.

“We’ve changed it around a bit with how we attack at Exeter, we had a long pre-season with a lot of changing.

“So for me, if I play at 10 or full-back, it’s very similar positions we get into, and whatever position I get put into I try and do my best, but I do feel like this new shape is helping my game at the moment.”

Related Articles

  • 36 WEEKS AGO

    Wasps face automatic relegation as club enters...

  • 36 WEEKS AGO

    Worcester name 41-year-old academy coach...

  • 36 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Caldy RFC scores one of rugby's best...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 1 DAY AGO

    Jack Crowley drops the ball on dime for brilliant Munster try in URC Final

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    WATCH: World class offload from James O’Connor Leads To Long Range Reds Try

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Leinster up and running with two incredible tries inside the first five minutes

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Chiefs Score The “Best Team Try” In Super Rugby History

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    La Rochelle centre Seuteni produces other worldly offload in dominant victory

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 5 DAYS AGO

    Watch: Cheslin Kolbe Dominates Sebastian Cancelliere with back-to-back big tackles

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Ben Curry's World Cup hopes dashed as he becomes the latest victim of the crocodile roll

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Australian rugby player banned for 5 years after assaulting referee

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Anthony Watson comes within seconds of a Tuilagi haymaker

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    South African Panel Debate Apparent ‘Clean Cut’ Red Card In Interesting Debate

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 1 HOUR AGO

    Barbarians Vs World XV highlights

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Silly Skill From Toulouse Fullback Highlights French Confidence

  • 14 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea Moment Of Magic In Super Rugby Aotearoa

  • 15 WEEKS AGO

    'Armchair athletes' berate Arundell's seriously impressive bench press

  • 15 WEEKS AGO

    Worcester Warriors - The End

View All

Funnies

  • 3 HOURS AGO

    Munster Rugby loving life in Cape Town Following URC Final Victory

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    WATCH: La Rochelle Players Gate Crash O’Gara Interview

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    WATCH: Stade Rochelais Coaches With All-Time Coaches Box Celebration

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Stephen Jones’s deleted rugby 7s article leads to hilarious wikipedia update

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Watch: DHL Stormers Celebrate Munster Victory In Style

View All

Amateur

  • 20 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 20 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 43 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 43 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 43 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 1 DAY AGO

    John Afoa breaks record on return to Super Rugby

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    Harry Potter to ‘disapparate’ to Australia

  • 4 DAYS AGO

    Steve Hansen makes statement following Folau selection

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    O'Gara gives honest response on Ireland job in passionate interview

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Australian rugby player banned for 5 years after assaulting referee

View All